MSNBC’s O’Donnell: Republicans Forced Dems to ‘Abuse’ Reconciliation for Infrastructure

[mystery-ak]

MSNBC’s O’Donnell: Republicans Forced Dems to ‘Abuse’ Reconciliation for Infrastructure

Pam Key
5 Apr 2021

MSNBC anchor Lawrence O’Donnell said on his Monday show “The Last Word” that Democrats were abusing the reconciliation process to pass President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package.

The Senate parliamentarian ruled Monday Democrats can use the reconciliation process for infrastructure, meaning it can pass with a simple-majority vote.

O’Donnell said, “There’s a quote from a Republican staffer in the Senate reacting to this today, saying, this is an abuse of the process and clearly not what reconciliation was designed to do, but they’re going to go forward anyway. I have to tell you I agree, that completely. It is an abuse of the reconciliation process, as it was designed. But this comes after years of abuse in the Senate by Mitch McConnell forcing the Democrats into this position because there’s no other way to govern in the Senate now.”

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) said, “Yeah, here we go. They don’t have to abide by the rules. When the Republicans are in charge, deficits don’t matter when Republicans are in charge. Then the Democrats come in, and they want everybody to do it differently and not take the advantage.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/04/05/msnbcs-odonnell-republicans-forced-dems-to-abuse-reconciliation-for-infrastructure/

[HoustonSam]

MSNBC’s O’Donnell: Republicans Forced Dems to ‘Abuse’ Reconciliation for Infrastructure
"But this comes after years of abuse in the Senate by Mitch McConnell forcing the Democrats into this position because there’s no other way to govern in the Senate now.”

Note that O'Donnell defines "govern" as "Democrats getting their way."  There is no mechanism for the Ds to get their way other than abusing procedures, so procedures be damned.

Did O'Donnell *ever* argue that McConnell was *forced by the Ds* to refuse a vote on Merrick Garland, or to push through a vote on Amy Coney Barrett, because there was "no other way to govern in the Senate now?"

The D/media collusion complex *defines* "legitimate government" as D control.  Whatever is necessary for Ds to exercise control is legitimate, but no Constitutional procedure, no legal requirement, no election outcome can *ever* make R control legitimate government.

The D/media collusion complex is not about Constitutional liberty, individual freedom, consent of the governed, or the rule of law; it invokes those terms cynically in its pursuit of pure D power.